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If you've yet to try it, Torchlight is a decent way to while away the holiday hours this week. A frequentflyer in our 2009 Best of the Rests, Runic's loot-heavy action-RPG is free until Sunday, November 30 on Perfect World's Arc client, and that's for keeps. If you don't have Arc then it's another PC client to clutter up your desktop, but on the flipside... free game.

While you're at it, keep the Torchlight on inside the birdhouse in your soul. In other, less obscurely referential words, you can also get the deeper, multiplayer-enhanced Torchlight 2 at a cut-down price. It's reduced from $20 to $5 on Arc, again until November 30.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arcpcperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentrunicrunic-gamestorchlightTorchlight-2Wed, 26 Nov 2014 06:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/24/perfect-world-prepping-3-games-for-xbox-one-china-launch/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/24/perfect-world-prepping-3-games-for-xbox-one-china-launch/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/06/24/perfect-world-prepping-3-games-for-xbox-one-china-launch/#comments
Chinese publisher Perfect World hopes to be among the first studios on Xbox One when it launches in China in September, Chief Executive Robert Xiao told GamesBeat. Perfect World has three studios working on projects for the Xbox One's Chinese launch.

"I should say from the outset that this is an amicable departure, that I consider the amazing team at Runic my friends and family, and that it is a privilege that they've let me get away with running the place for this long," wrote Baldree, who served as the studio president and lead engineer, in his goodbye post on the company forum.

The new studio will focus on smaller-scale development. Baldree says, "Working within the boundaries of limited means and resources is the best fun I've ever had, and that sort of work satisfies me in a fundamental way - I can't wait to be working that way again."

Runic CEO Max Schaefer (brother of Erich) reiterated the parting was amicable and that the studio will continue working on its "completely secret project."

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>erich-schaefermax-schaeferperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentrunicrunic-gamestravis-baldreeThu, 27 Mar 2014 20:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/12/29/mmo-publisher-perfect-world-entertainment-bringing-current-and/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/12/29/mmo-publisher-perfect-world-entertainment-bringing-current-and/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/12/29/mmo-publisher-perfect-world-entertainment-bringing-current-and/#comments
Perfect World Entertainment, publisher of free-to-play games like Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter and Star Trek Online, has announced the creation of a new company division that plans to bring "current and future" games to both current and next-gen consoles.

Perfect World Entertainment CEO Alan Chen said in a press release that the studio's move to consoles was a "natural progression," but no details were given on how the company's mostly keyboard-and-mouse-centric games will be translated to the controller-oriented consoles. The press release did, however, tease that more details will be coming sometime next year.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>consolefree-to-playmmoneverwinterpcperfect-world-entertainmentstar-trek-onlineSun, 29 Dec 2013 17:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/07/neverwinters-magic-spells-are-pretty-wizard/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/07/neverwinters-magic-spells-are-pretty-wizard/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/07/neverwinters-magic-spells-are-pretty-wizard/#commentsCryptic Studios and Atari Perfect World Entertainment have shared both the video above and the gallery below, both designed to show you what the upcoming Neverwinter's Control Wizard class is capable of. As you can see in the video especially, the spells are heavily inspired by pen-and-paper Dungeons and Dragons, and the game will have you casting old favorites like Magic Missile, Ray of Frost, and the destructive Ice Storm.

You can also see a few other 4th Edition D&D mainstays, including Tiefling heroes (they're the ones with the horns) and some NPC zombies and skeletons. The free-to-play MMO is set to be released early next year.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>4th-editioncryptic-studiosdungeons-and-dragonsfree-to-playmagic-missilemmoneverwinterpcpen-and-paperperfect-world-entertainmentray-of-frostspellswizardWed, 07 Nov 2012 05:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/torchlight-team-remains-strong-in-face-of-diablo-3/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/torchlight-team-remains-strong-in-face-of-diablo-3/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/torchlight-team-remains-strong-in-face-of-diablo-3/#commentsTorchlight 2 developer Runic Games is putting on a brave front as the reckoning of Diablo 3 comes this May. Runic once respectfully joked that it would have Torchlight 3 out before Diablo 3 launched, but after significant delays, Torchlight 2 will likely launch after Blizzard's behemoth.

"We know a lot of you are worried about us. We've heard what you're saying, and sure we've had similar discussions," a Runic statement notes on the Torchlight 2 site. "But we began making the first Torchlight in 2008 when development on Diablo 3 was already underway. We didn't let that be a reason that we couldn't make an RPG."

"There will be unforeseen challenges along the way, no matter what business you're in. We've chosen to stay small with a total team of 32. We're pretty sure that we want this game out more than anyone (not just so that we can resume a normal sleep schedule!) -- but we are going to do it right. That's our commitment to you, and to ourselves."

The Entertainment Software Association's support of the "Stop Online Piracy Act" has led us to ask every member of the video game industry's lobbying and political group to publicly declare its stance on the bill. The ESA's continued support means every member, by proxy, is a supporter of the bill.

Some companies have pulled their logos from supporting SOPA documentation to dodge ire, while others are hiding behind rhetoric, as you'll see below. Joystiq contacted every member of the ESA and requested a declarative statement on SOPA. After the break we've listed the responses we've received, along with others we found. We continue to seek clarity on this issue from every member of the ESA.

This will become the page we update as we receive responses and clear declarative statements, so feel free to bookmark.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>345-games38-studios505-gamescapcomdeep-silverdisneydisney-interactiveeaeidoseidos-interactiveelectronic-artsEntertainment-software-associationepic-gamesESAfutureher-interactiveignition-entertainmentkonamilevel-5microsoftnamconatsumenexonnintendonivalnvidiao-gamesperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentpoliticssegaslangsonysony-online-entertainmentSOPAsquare-enixstop-online-piracy-acttake-twotake-two-interactivethqtrionubisoftwarner-bros-interactivewbieFri, 06 Jan 2012 09:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2010/08/19/light-up-your-day-with-the-first-torchlight-2-trailer/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/08/19/light-up-your-day-with-the-first-torchlight-2-trailer/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/08/19/light-up-your-day-with-the-first-torchlight-2-trailer/#comments
The first trailer for Torchlight 2 doesn't dance around the issue: The original Torchlight should have had multiplayer. As such, be prepared to be bombarded by the fact that Torchlight 2does have multiplayer, and that it appears to be a (magical) blast. Basically, the trailer makes 2011 seem really far away.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gamescom-2010macpcPerfect-World-EntertainmentRunictorchlight-2Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:45:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2010/05/18/torchlight-sales-surpass-500-000-units/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/05/18/torchlight-sales-surpass-500-000-units/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/05/18/torchlight-sales-surpass-500-000-units/#commentsGamasutra reports that in the weeks preceding its launch on the shiny new Steam for Mac client, Runic Games' top-down RPG Torchlight hit a pretty substantial milestone. Since its launch last October the game, which typically sells for $20, has been purchased over 500,000 times.

We imagine Perfect World, the game's publishing partner that recently purchased a majority stake in Runic, is pleased as punch about reaching the sales milestone. You should be, too -- in honor of hitting the half-million mark, and in celebration of the game's launch on Mac, you can grab Torchlight on Steam for $10 for a limited time.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>industrymacperfect-world-entertainmentrpgrunic-gamessalessteamtorchlightTue, 18 May 2010 19:20:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2010/05/17/perfect-world-grabs-majority-share-in-torchlight-developer/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/05/17/perfect-world-grabs-majority-share-in-torchlight-developer/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/05/17/perfect-world-grabs-majority-share-in-torchlight-developer/#comments
Perfect World, a China-based developer and publisher of several MMOs, revealed today it has acquired "a majority stake" in Runic Games for approximately $8.4 million. Runic is the studio that spawned from the ashes of Hellgate: London's Flagship Studios and is best-known for Torchlight, its single-player Diablo-inspired action-RPG. Previously, in April 2009, Runic had entered an agreement that made Perfect World the exclusive worldwide publisher of Torchlight.

Considering Perfect World is primarily an MMO publisher, it's fairly obvious the company gobbled up the majority stake in Runic in anticipation of the developer's Torchlight MMO, which is reportedly about two years away. With this acquisition, Perfect World has stated that it seeks to "create global titles" -- so more Hot Dance Party MMOs then?